Chapter 34:  Erian Hotel (2)

A carriage adorned with a brilliant cross emblem came to a stop on the road.

As the holy knight opened the door, Saint Istina revealed herself.

“Erian Hotel… it’s been a while.”

The saint, with her radiant silver hair, spoke in a benevolent voice.

She had spent a long time in high society, frequenting various hotels.

Now, she personally visited the hotel to check on a place she had invested in.

“If the value of this place is really about to skyrocket, then the hotel of the man who lent us money should rise too.”

“That’s right. It might even become a symbol of the city.”

In response to her escort knight’s comment, Saint Istina added,

“I’m curious to find out whether that child’s words were mere bluff or genuine foresight.”

Possessing considerable capital of the Empire, she narrowed her eyes.

Her lifeless blue eyes.

“If it’s the former, we’ll have to cut him off without hesitation.”

Despite her holy appearance, her tone was chilling.

Tipping the brim of her hat back, she looked up at the hotel entrance.

“As expected, it’s desolate in front of the hotel.”

Apparently unimpressed from the first impression, the saint shook her head.

But at that moment—

“Welcome, Saint Istina.”

She flashed her sharp eyes at the sight of me, who had come out personally to greet her.

Because I had come out as though I had known she would visit.

“Strange. I never said I was coming.”

“How could I not sense the holy aura approaching from outside the hotel?”

I offered a polite bow before them.

Lowering my head respectfully, I gave my signature sly smile.

“Shall we head inside? I’ll guide you.”

Gesturing to the male staff who had followed me out, I directed them to lead the carriage to the parking lot.

At this, Istina halted them and asked with an intelligent glint in her eyes,

“Wait a moment. Where exactly are you sending the carriage?”

“There’s a hotel-exclusive ‘stable’ I’ve prepared.”

A hotel-exclusive stable.

At this unfamiliar concept, the saint furrowed her delicate brow.

“A hotel-exclusive, you say…?”

“Yes. Since you’re here, would you like a tour?”

With a graceful motion, I led the saint to the back of the hotel.

When they saw the transformed space, which had been an empty lot just a few days ago, their mouths fell open.

“Hey, Roger. What exactly is that place…?”

“What do you think it is?”

In response to the escort knight’s question, I half-closed my slender eyes.

Then, in a reverent voice, I introduced it.

“The signature service of our Erian Hotel…”

Hotel staff giving refreshing rinses to white horses from the West.

Attendants meticulously washing Helena’s luxurious carriage by hand.

“Parking and washing services.”

The holy knight blankly stared at the white horses, calmly bobbing their heads.

Riding was one of his hobbies, and he seemed to recognize just how sensitive and expensive the breeds of the horses before him were.

“Over there, around the thigh—scratch a little softer. Premium stallions are extremely sensitive.”

The sight of staff understanding even the temperament of such creatures and tending to them with such care…

It was a service on a whole different level compared to just leaving a carriage abandoned by the roadside.

“Are you well-versed in horses too?”

The knight asked with interest, having seen me name the exact breed.

With my hand over the left side of my chest, I replied in a leisurely voice,

“If one dreams of becoming an official secretary, I believe knowledge of the steeds that serve the lord is essential as well.”

“Ho… It’s rare for someone to go that far in their studies. Impressive.”

The escort knight chuckled softly and gazed at the parking area with satisfaction.

At that, the saint shot him a sharp glance.

As if to warn him not to be swayed so easily.

“Hm-hm… Well, it’s certainly a decent approach.”

“I agree. But when it comes to hotels, isn’t the interior what truly matters?”

As expected of someone who presides over a massive cathedral—she wasn’t easy to impress.

She gently pressed down the brim of her wide hat, keeping her emotions in check and maintaining a firm stance.

“Indeed. Then allow me to escort you to the lobby.”

As I led the way, the saint and her escort knights followed calmly behind.

Meanwhile, the holy knight kept glancing toward the washing area, lost in thought.

“Pprrrrr!!”

One of the prized horses, now refreshed from the cool rinse, gave a powerful sneeze.

The hotel staff tended to the creature with satisfied smiles.

Their pockets were well lined with generous tips from the Western Grand Duke’s House.

――――――

“We are honored to serve you. Welcome to Hotel Erian.”

The lobby staff, who had been waiting in advance, stood in a neat line.

They shouted the greeting in voices just loud enough not to startle the guests.

“A signature greeting, is it? Not bad.”

The saint stepped into the lobby with a formal smile.

As if preparing to sharply criticize a hotel she assumed had been long neglected, she lightly wet her red lips with her tongue.

Just as she was raising her hood, savoring the sweet taste of her lipstick—

“Hm…?”

Her blue eyes widened at the sight before her—something completely different from what she had expected.

Like a wolf in the snow meeting a human for the first time.

“This is really Erian Hotel…?”

The holy knight who followed her looked just as bewildered.

He furrowed his brow, as if he couldn’t believe this was the hotel of a once-forsaken city.

“This is the newly reopened Erian Hotel.”

I turned my body slightly and offered a formal greeting.

Then I pointed to the large elephant statue firmly guarding the lobby.

“Madam Luton was originally from the Empire’s East.”

With a bold voice, I added a bit of the founder’s history.

“When she married into the North, she used to say she missed the elephants she raised back in her homeland.”

A 2-meter-tall elephant statue carved from richly fragrant solid wood.

It had the effect of soothing even the hearts of visitors.

The statue, once rotting away in the pawnshop storage, had finally found its place in the open lobby of the hotel.

“I placed it here in the lobby out of a desire to honor her memory, even just a little.”

I stepped between the knight and the saint, both staring at the majestic sculpture with dazed expressions.

Then, with a sly smile in my eyes, I whispered,

“They say in the East, elephants are the mounts of kings. It reflects our belief that guests who stay here will be treated like royalty.”

At my smooth explanation, the saint let out a soft cough.

Then she resumed her line of questioning with a professional look in her eyes.

“Fine. The size is appropriate, so it’s not bad. But… having just this one still leaves the lobby feeling empty.”

She tilted back her long hood and looked around different parts of the hotel.

“The elephant statue is nice, but what the hotel still lacks is its own ‘distinct elegance.’”

Becoming first-class in this vast land of Nord was no easy task.

Having stayed in many hotels while traveling on pilgrimage throughout the Empire, the saint was not easily satisfied.

“You’re right. I’ve only recently taken over this place, so it’s still lacking in many ways.”

I acknowledged this without resistance and gave a nod.

At my meek response, the saint allowed a faint smile to form beneath the shade of her hat.

“Well then, I suppose there’s no helping it.”

Like Helena wearing her black glasses, the saint pulled her hood down low to cover her face.

She spoke while hiding the greed filling her eyes.

“Our cathedral will have to sponsor various artworks for you.”

At Istina’s unexpected offer to sponsor the hotel herself, her escort’s eyes flashed with intensity.

The saint’s patronage was truly something akin to divine grace.

The wealth and honor she could bestow were exceedingly sweet.

However—

“No, I couldn’t possibly. I’ve already received such a great blessing from you, Saint Istina—how could I ask for more?”

I shrugged at the beast wearing the saint’s mask.

Then, like the world’s most devout believer, I placed my hands together and continued.

“Please, come down the lobby steps. I have something to show you.”

Erian Hotel’s lobby was divided into two main areas.

The main lobby, stretching from the entrance to the counter.

And a large waiting space just five steps down the stairs.

In the past, it was a vacant space with only a few sofas scattered around without thought.

‘But this time, it’s different.’

The saint followed me down to the steps.

And in that moment—

Istina immediately realized why I had refused her offer of grace.

“The 1st Erian–Fern Art Exhibition.”

Tens of thousands of artworks densely filled the vast space.

And at the center, a beautiful angel statue stood, embracing them all.

That statue bore an uncanny resemblance to Saint Istina herself.

“There probably isn’t a single hotel in all of Nord hosting an exhibition of this scale.”

With my hands behind my back, I turned to look at the saint, wearing the same expression I once had as Chief Secretary.

In my eyes, soaked in the filth of the secular world, she sensed a strange, indescribable dissonance.

But I knew the truth.

That the saint of our Empire, more than anyone, was both exquisitely beautiful and just as steeped in worldliness as I was.

“Impressive.”

Istina smiled faintly from beneath her tilted hood.

Resting her fist gently under her soft chin, she gazed out over the vintage atmosphere of Erian Hotel.

Her eyes were especially drawn to the grand portrait of the Duchess hanging in the center of the outer wall.

“I wanted so badly to find fault with something, but there’s nothing I can say.”

The saint looked up at me with a mischievous smile in her eyes.

But knowing just how mischievous she could be, I kept my expression strictly formal.

“Very well. With all this, I suppose I have no choice but to acknowledge it.”

With her hands now folded behind her, the saint turned around with elegant poise.

At that moment, the escort knight who had come with her glanced between the two of us and whispered.

“You intend to leave just like that?”

‘So that was your plan—to maneuver things so I’d end up as one of the saint’s subordinates.’

But things hadn’t gone as they wished, so the holy knight checked her intentions.

I, too, expected Istina to move swiftly onto her next plan.

However, her response was unexpectedly bold.

“Sir Lenny, do you recognize the portrait in the center of the gallery?”

“The portrait…?”

The holy knight turned to face the Duchess’s portrait on the wall, with its serene smile.

With her skin white as ivory and a radiant smile on her face, just looking at her seemed to warm his chest.

“I’m not sure. But I can tell she was the Grand Duke of the North’s wife—and that she was beautiful.”

“She was far more beautiful in person.”

Istina tilted her head slightly and looked toward me.

“Five years ago, I attended the founding ceremony of Erian Hotel to bestow a blessing upon it.”

The smile faded from her face, and her gaze turned more serious.

“At the time, the Duchess had a deep affection for this hotel she had built herself. She thanked every single visitor and even shook their hands.”

Istina unfolded her hands behind her back.

Then, with a benevolent expression befitting a saint, she looked upon the portrait.

“More than a hundred people came that day. That’s how precious this hotel was to her.”

A woman wholly devoted to what she loved, giving thanks to everyone she met—

From the saint’s perspective, there was probably nothing more endearing.

“But after she passed away and the hotel was abandoned, that portrait disappeared too.”

“It was kept in a vault to prevent deterioration.”

I looked at the portrait alongside the saint.

When I answered in a calm voice, she allowed a smile to grace her lips.

“That’s right.”

Istina gave only a short reply and turned her head.

Then, as she walked toward the lounge bar, she left behind a single remark.

“It’s nice to see the portrait of someone like her out on display again.”

The clear sound of the saint’s heels echoed through Erian Hotel.

As the sound grew more distant, I no longer wore my usual sly expression.

Just a moment ago, Istina had truly looked like a saint.

“Roger, will you show me around the lounge bar as well?”

At the sound of her voice from afar, I blinked slowly.

Then, casting a quick glance back at the beautiful smile of the woman hanging in the gallery…

I followed Istina with a serious expression of my own.

――――――

The moment we entered the lounge, the Western Grand Duke’s daughter, Helena, came into view.

Dressed in leggings and a white shirt, she leaned casually against the wall.

Lowering her black sunglasses slightly, she looked at both the saint and me with cool blue eyes.

“So you had a sponsor after all…?”

Even though I had rejected her gift, she now saw me receiving the backing of another woman.

At that, Helena’s red lips curled slightly.

“Interesting, Roger.”

The Western Grand Duke’s daughter took off her tinted glasses and tucked them into her shirt.

Then, placing her index finger under her soft chin, she narrowed her eyes.

For a moment, I thought maybe she was jealous of me.

But—

Helena wasn’t the kind of woman who could be defined so simply.

“So you’re not the type to just keep saying no.”

Instead of jealousy, she was the kind of ambitious woman who looked for a way to enter the business herself.

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